A company said that it owes more than R17.5 million by NSFAS.
Students at Quazulu-Nottal staged a protest on Friday, demanding that the National Students Financial Assistance Scheme (NSFAs) pay the funds given to the landlords.
Some students have not received money from NSFA for five months, which means they are at risk of losing their housing, they cannot eat and have not been paid for their study.
Students and zamindars march against NSFAS
Around 2 000 angry protesters gathered at Raja Dinuzulu Park and proceeded to Durban City Hall to hand over the memorandum of complaints.
Some landlords also joined the protest.
The Executive Director of MSR Consultants, Phili MNCWABE, a company, who deal with the student residence in Quazulu-Nottal, said many landlords decided to participate in March as NSFAS paid them money.
Look: students and landlords protested against NSFAS
MNCWABE said that his company alone owes more than R17.5 million.
“We want to express our deep concern about the ongoing non-payment of housing allowances by NSFAS, which continues to impress more than 700 Thekwini Tvet College students living in our properties. As of today, the students have not achieved their housing allowances for more than five months, resulting in more than a compounded loan for MSR.
“We are demanding immediate intervention from NSFAS and Higher Education and Training Department. This action is not only a reflection of the growing crisis, but a desperate call for accountability and a permanent solution.”
NSFAS due to non-payment
MNCWABE stated that the origin of the non-paying issue is the systemic failure of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, which continue to define students without adequate and complete registration data, without adequate clarification and continue to continue without the internal disabilities of NSFAS in processing and processing payments.
As a result of NSFAS failure, hundreds of students are being abandoned without stable housing and forced to carry out the basic requirements and landlords that are being forced to carry out the stability of private students housing.
Also read: Higher Education Minister late NSFAS payment, address appeal for appeal
He said that he has not yet evicted any student, as it will compromise on his right to education and dignity.
“Instead, we are ending all the Democratic paths including this march – to increase our concerns and demand collective action.
“We also want to tell that the crisis is spread beyond the tveets. We currently adjust more than 300 students in Quazulu-Nottal (UKZN) and Durban University of Technology (Dut), many of whom have not received payment or recently have not blamed it. Some students of the previous educational period are unhappy for our growing loans.”
He said that the problem not only affects the landlords and students – it itself affects institutions.
The demands of the protesters include:
- Parliament and Executives immediately to allocate an additional budget to NSFAS;
- Higher Education Minister to attach the TVET sector with the same urgency that he has shown to universities; And
- The NSFAS is made up of a national work team representatives to set up a National Student Housing Forum to set up a National Student Housing Forum to establish landlords, institutions, student bodies, South African Local Government Association (Sulga), Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and crisis, and to oversee a long -term field plan.
MNCWABE said he was directed to submit a memorandum to City Hall Management, as NSFAS and DHET representatives were not available to receive it.
NSFAS replied to the memorandum on Friday afternoon that it was “committed to address these concerns”.
It blamed funding challenges on the errors faced during the application process, approved budget barriers related to late registration and student appeal.
“Both DHET and NSFA are actively collaborating to resolve these challenges. Efforts include reviewing applications from students applying during the TVET application cycle, for students for whom the registration was submitted late, and searching for additional resources to support students to support students with approved appeal.
“Institutions are also being encouraged to assist students in resolving outstanding issues,” it said.
Now read: NSFAS SIU receives more than R850 million after investigation